Coca-Cola Stock Slips Below 50-Day SMA: Time to Buy or Exit?

The Coca-Cola Company KO stock recently slipped below its 50-day simple moving average (SMA), indicating a potential short-term bearish trend. Yesterday, KO stock closed at $69.53, staying below the 50-day SMA of $70.88. The stock of this beverage behemoth has been witnessing a significant downtrend in the past month, which resulted in a fall below the 50-day SMA on May 9, 2025. Since then, KO stock has been on a downtrend. Notably, KO stock has declined 3.9% since reporting earnings on April 29, 2025.

Coca-Cola Stock Trades Below 50-Day SMA

The 50-day SMA is a key indicator for traders and analysts to identify support and resistance levels. It is considered particularly important as it is the first marker of an uptrend or a downtrend. SMA is an essential tool in technical analysis that helps investors evaluate price trends by smoothing out short-term fluctuations. This approach provides a clearer perspective on a stock's long-term direction.

At its closing price of $69.53 yesterday, KO stock trades above its 200-day SMA, indicating a possible long-term upward trend.

Coca-Cola has shown a lackluster performance, with its shares losing 4% in the past month compared with the Zacks Beverages – Soft Drinks industry’s decline of 4.7%. Despite a slight edge above the industry, KO stock has underperformed the broader Zacks Consumer Staples sector’s decline of 1.4% and the S&P 500's growth of 4.4% in the same period.

KO’s performance is notably weaker than that of its competitor, Monster Beverage MNST, which rallied 4.8% in the past month. On the other hand, KO stock has outperformed peers like PepsiCo Inc. PEP and Keurig Dr Pepper Inc’s KDP declines of 10.3% and 6.1%, respectively, in the same period.

Coca-Cola’s One-Month Price Performance

At its current price, KO stock reflects a 6.5% discount from its 52-week high mark of $74.38 but indicates a 14.7% premium to its 52-week low of $60.62.

The recent price action follows a mixed performance in the first quarter of 2025, marked by a 2% decline in revenues alongside a modest 1% growth in earnings per share (EPS). The top-line contraction was driven by underwhelming results across most operating segments, except North America and EMEA, which showed relative resilience. Additionally, management’s cautious commentary regarding the potential impact of evolving tariff dynamics, particularly on certain cost structures within its system and consumer sentiment across key markets, has contributed to the recent deceleration in share price momentum.

So, is it the right time to stock up on shares, or should you book profits? Let’s delve deeper into the company’s fundamentals.

KO’s Key Strengths: Innovation & Strategic Expansion

Coca-Cola’s robust market presence, marketing expertise and commitment to innovation continue to underpin its long-term growth strategy. The company is advancing its vision of becoming a total beverage company through a resilient approach that blends cutting-edge marketing, agile product innovation, and disciplined revenue growth management. Its modernized marketing model leverages digital, experiential, and in-store channels to forge stronger, more personalized consumer connections.

To align with shifting consumer preferences, Coca-Cola has diversified its portfolio beyond traditional sugary drinks, expanding into healthier and functional options such as vitaminwater, smartwater, Simply juices, and Dasani. Key initiatives—such as the success of the Real Magic platform, the acquisition of BODYARMOR, and the launch of Coca-Cola Starlight—demonstrate the company’s agility and brand strength.

Coca-Cola is also expanding into the rapidly growing ready-to-drink (RTD) alcoholic beverage market. Following the successful launches of Topo Chico Hard Seltzer, Simply Spiked Lemonade, FRESCA Mixed, and Jack & Coke, the company plans to introduce Bacardi Mixed with Coca-Cola RTD cocktails in 2025.

Coca-Cola remains confident in the strength of its diversified portfolio and global system. In 2025, the company aims to balance volume growth with price/mix optimization, while anticipating a tapering impact from inflation-driven pricing pressures as the year progresses.

Estimate Revision Trend for Coca-Cola

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for KO’s 2025 EPS has been unchanged in the last 30 days. The consensus estimate for 2026 EPS has moved up by a penny in the past 30 days. The upward revision in earnings estimates indicates analysts’ confidence in the stock.

For 2025, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for Coca-Cola’s revenues and EPS implies 2.3% and 2.8% year-over-year growth, respectively. The consensus mark for 2026 revenues and earnings suggests 5.2% and 8.2% year-over-year growth, respectively. (See the Zacks Earnings Calendar to stay ahead of market-making news.)

Is KO’s Premium Valuation Justified?

Coca-Cola undoubtedly commands a high valuation, reflecting its strong market positioning, brand power and long-term growth potential compared with other non-alcoholic beverage companies. However, we believe that its valuation is too stretched at this time.

KO trades at a significant premium to industry peers with a forward 12-month price-to-earnings (P/E) multiple of 22.8X. The current valuation is below its five-year high of 26.61X and ahead of the broader industry’s multiple of 18.46X.

At 22.8X P/E, Coca-Cola is trading at a valuation much higher than its competitors. Its competitors, such as PepsiCo and Keurig, are trading at lower multiples. PepsiCo, Monster Beverage and Keurig have forward 12-month P/E ratios of 16.37X and 16.04X — all significantly higher than Coca-Cola. However, KO trades at a discount to Monster Beverage’s P/E multiple of 31.86X.

The company’s ability to deliver on its promise of offering something for everyone to drink, with a focus on innovation and digital expansion, is crucial. While success in these areas can strengthen its market leadership, failure can pose serious challenges for this soft drink giant. At this moment, its current valuation seems unwarranted.

Is Buying KO Stock a Smart Choice Right Now?

Coca-Cola’s recent dip below its 50-day SMA reflects potential short-term headwinds, signaling a possible slowdown in momentum. Ongoing challenges, including global trade uncertainties, rising inflation, macroeconomic disruptions in select markets, and adverse currency movements, are likely to weigh on near-term performance.

Despite these pressures, Coca-Cola’s strong market leadership, diversified product portfolio, and strategic emphasis on innovation and digital engagement continue to support its long-term growth trajectory. The company’s localized operating model also helps insulate it from broader tariff risks, reinforcing its resilience.

Coca-Cola remains an attractive option for long-term investors, underpinned by solid profitability and an expanding global footprint. Its proactive approach to navigating economic volatility will be key to sustaining performance. Backed by strong fundamentals and a favorable outlook, this Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) stock reflects continued investor confidence. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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